GUITAR WORLD - SLAYER - Cover Story

"HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMEONE AND THE THOUGHT COMES IN YOUR HEAD THAT YOU JUST WANT TO…KILL ’EM?”

Coming from most any other human, this line of questioning might be surprising. But when the human in question is Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman, it’s par for the course. He is, after all, the dark-spirited counterpart to Kerry King, his co-guitarist in Slayer.

“But why would you do it? Why would I do it?” Hanneman continues, as he cracks open a second Corona. “I think about that more than I should.”



To read the rest of this cover story, which originally appeared in Guitar World November 2009, click HERE.

GUITAR WORLD: Ihsahn

His influential black metal band may have reached the end of its line, but with his new solo album,angL, former Emperor guitarist Ihsahn continues his reign as Norway's progressive metal monarch.

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"The drive from Oslo to the rural town of Notodden, Norway, is about one hour into the heart of rugged Telemark County. On a bright, cold day in March, Guitar World is making the trek to visit former Emperor guitarist/vocalist Ihsahn in his hometown, where he has just finished recording his second solo album, the forceful and progressively black metal effort angL (Candlelight/Mnemosyne).

"It was here in this town of 2,000 people, nearly 20 years ago, that Ihsahn and a few friends—guitarist Samoth, drummer Trym and bassist Mortiis—founded Emperor and effectively launched the symphonic black metal sound that influenced scores of extreme bands, from Dimmu Borgir to Children of Bodom. As we navigate through the myriad winding mountain roads, snow-capped peaks and ominous evergreen forests, under the sweeping maneuvers of the ever-present black birds, it becomes crystal clear how the epic, grim qualities inherent in Norwegian black metal could be born out of such a dramatic, beautiful and utterly brutal landscape.

"Upon arriving in Notodden, we check into our provincial hotel and call Ihsahn. He says he’ll meet us in the lobby in 10 minutes. As we walk into the old hotel’s foyer at the appointed time, we see the six-foot-plus guitarist dressed head to toe in black, his hair slicked back, wearing reflective sunglasses and sitting cross-legged on a leather couch. He rises, smiling, to meet us and offers a firm handshake, seemingly unaware—or unconcerned—about the sideways glances of the hotel guests and exceedingly non-metal townsfolk.

"'Welcome to Notodden,' he says. 'Shall we start with a tour of my studio?' And off we go to Symphonique Studios, Ihsahn’s private recording facility. In many respects, Notodden is not unlike the countless small towns in the States that are isolated from the thriving musical and artistic scenes of large cities. In such out-of-the-way places, when musically minded adolescent boys get restless, they tend to start bands. And sometimes that leads to trouble."

To read the rest of this feature, which originally appeared in Guitar World August 2008, click HERE.

GUITAR WORLD: Emperor

"1992, THE WORLD WAS WATCHING Norway as the nation prepared for the prestigious honor of hosting the 1994 Olympic games in Lillehammer. Inside the country, however, a rash of church burnings and murders were terrifying the populace and threatening to overshadow Norway’s reputation as one of the most peaceful and politically progressive countries in the world.

"The instigators, as the police soon discovered, belonged to an inner circle of extreme black metallers. Among them were several members of Emperor, at the time a relatively new entry among Oslo’s burgeoning extreme music scene.

" 'We were all very psyched about the whole thing,” Emperor’s guitarist/vocalist Ihsahn says of that early period in the band’s history. “I had long black nails and wore makeup and inverted crosses to keep people away. I realized when people hate you for being extreme, you might as well drive the point home.' "

Click the links below to read the rest of the feature, which originally ran in Guitar World magazine's October 2007 issue.

Emperor Feature, GW October 2007, Part 1
Emperor Feature, GW October 2007, Part 2

GUITAR WORLD: Kirk Hammett & Adam Jones

"They both started as cult heroes—Metallica’s Kirk Hammett was a man of the people, and Tool’s Adam Jones was a man of mystery. Join them as they compare notes on how they transformed their heavy metal into a worldwide religion."

Click HERE to read the rest of my cover story with Kirk Hammett and Adam Jones from Guitar World April 2009.

REVOLVER: Avenged Sevenfold Harley Davidson Feature

"IT’S A WARM DAY IN APRIL, and this Revolver writer is blasting along a scenic stretch of California’s Pacific Coast Highway on a brand-new Harley-Davidson Dark Custom Street Bob. As I lose myself in the sun’s reflection off the vast Pacific Ocean to my left, the surge of the bike’s 1584cc Twin Cam engine beneath me and the breeze rushing across my face, I notice the low-riding, flat-black Fat Bob I’m trailing—ridden by none other than Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates—has gained a few hundred feet of distance on me.

Not about to be left behind on this ride, I give the throttle a determined roll with my right hand and the Street Bob jumps to attention—its staggered shorty exhaust pipes blaring—and the gap is closed in seconds. At this point, the question in need of answer is why am I—a Brooklyn-dwelling city rider—speeding along this wide-open stretch of Huntington Beach highway with A7X’s lead axman? The answer is all too simple: When Harley comes knocking and offers up a couple of test bikes to ride, you don’t say no."

Click the links below to read the rest of the feature, which originally ran in Revolver magazine's August 2008 issue.

Avenged Sevenfold Harley Davidson Feature, Page 1
Avenged Sevenfold Harley Davidson Feature, Page 2
Avenged Sevenfold Harley Davidson Feature, Page 3
Avenged Sevenfold Harley Davidson Feature, Page 4

INKED MAGAZINE - Rich Sandomeno

Check out the profile of my good friend, the bad-ass jewelry maker Rich Sandomeno that I wrote for Inked Magazine's May 2009 issue.

GUITAR WORLD: A Place To Bury Strangers

"With The Edge and Trent Reznor plugging into his Death by Audio effect pedals, and fans clamoring for his hot new band, A Place to Bury Strangers, guitarist/pedal designer Oliver Ackermann has become a force to be reckoned with."

Click HERE to read the rest of my feature with A Place To Bury Strangers, from Guitar World May 2009.

GUITAR WORLD: Enslaved

Click HERE to read my piece on Norwegian progressive black metal act Enslaved, in which I speak with guitarist Ivar Bjørnson about his band's new album, Vertabrae.

GUITAR WORLD: Immortal

"While Norway's black metal scene burned, Immortal were noisily carving out their own style of "grim and frostbitten" extreme music. In this rare interview, founding members Demonaz and Abbath tell the true tale of Immortal's bleak and blackened journey..."

Click HERE to read the rest of my feature story with Abbath and Demonaz from Immortal, which originally appeared in Guitar World March 2007.